The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Apr. 16, 2013
Filed:
Mar. 19, 2009
Katsuhisa Kitano, Ibaraki, JP;
Satoshi Hamaguchi, Kyoto, JP;
Kei Shinada, Uji, JP;
Osaka University, Osaka, JP;
Shimadzu Corporation, Kyoto, JP;
Abstract
A low-frequency high AC voltage from an excitation voltage power source () is applied between one electrode () and two other electrodes (A andB) to generate a low-frequency AC-excited dielectric barrier discharge within a gas passage (), thereby creating atmospheric pressure non-equilibrium micro-plasma. A sample gas is mixed with hydrogen inside the passage of a nozzle (), and further mixed with air outside an exit port () to burn, forming a hydrogen flame (). Then, the sample gas reaches an ionization area (), where the sample components are ionized due to the effect of light emitted from the plasma. Meanwhile, water molecules generated in the hydrogen flame () are supplied into the ionization area (), whereby some of the sample-molecule ions are hydrated while the others undergo a reaction to form a hydroxonium ion. These kinds of hydrated ions have long lifetimes and barely become extinct halfway, so that they can efficiently reach a detection electrode () and be detected as ion current. As a result, the detection sensitivity is improved and the dynamic range is enhanced.